The 15 best sitcoms of all time that are always good for a great laugh, and where to binge them
The best sitcoms of all time share one quality above all: you can drop into any episode on a bad day and come out the other side smiling. From New York apartments and paper company conference rooms to underfunded Philadelphia classrooms, these fifteen shows built worlds so warm and funny that audiences have returned to them for decades. Whether you are a first-time viewer or a seasoned rewatcher, there is always another laugh waiting.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Seinfeld and The Office are the two highest-rated sitcoms on IMDb, both scoring 8.9 and 9.0 respectively, and regularly top critics' all-time rankings.
- The M*A*S*H finale remains the most-watched scripted TV episode in U.S. history*, drawing approximately 106 million viewers in 1983.
- Abbott Elementary is the newest show on this list and is already in its sixth season, with a 99% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes as of October 2026.
- The classic era is well represented: Cheers, The Golden Girls, Frasier, and I Love Lucy all earned multiple Emmy wins and have never left the conversation.
- Streaming access has never been easier — every show on this list is available on at least one major platform, from Netflix to Peacock to Hulu.
Summary table
Show | Years | Network | Where to binge |
Seinfeld | 1989–1998 | NBC | Netflix |
The Office (US) | 2005–2013 | NBC | Peacock |
Friends | 1994–2004 | NBC | Max |
Cheers | 1982–1993 | NBC | Peacock / Apple TV+ |
M*A*S*H | 1972–1983 | CBS | Hulu |
Parks and Recreation | 2009–2015 | NBC | Peacock |
The Good Place | 2016–2020 | NBC | Peacock / Hulu |
Arrested Development | 2003–2019 | Fox / Netflix | Netflix |
Brooklyn Nine-Nine | 2013–2021 | Fox / NBC | Peacock / Netflix |
30 Rock | 2006–2013 | NBC | Peacock / Hulu |
Frasier | 1993–2004 | NBC | Hulu |
The Golden Girls | 1985–1992 | NBC | Hulu |
Abbott Elementary | 2021–present | ABC | Hulu |
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | 2005–present | FX / FXX | Hulu |
Community | 2009–2015 | NBC | Peacock |
The 15 best sitcoms of all time
Seinfeld
- Full name: Seinfeld
- Years: 1989–1998
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 9
- IMDb rating: 8.8/10
- Where to watch: Netflix
Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld followed the misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic friends. It is widely regarded as the most influential comedy ever made, built on airtight plotting, zero sentimentality, and a finale that drew 76 million viewers. It is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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The Office (US)
- Full name: The Office
- Years: 2005–2013
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 9
- IMDb rating: 9.0/10
- Where to watch: Peacock
According to IMDb users, one live-action sitcom sits above all the others in the pantheon: the American version of The Office. Widely considered the best American sitcom, it achieved its status through a balance of heart, chaos, cringe, and sharp writing. You can stream The Office on Peacock.
Friends
- Full name: Friends
- Years: 1994–2004
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 10
- IMDb rating: 8.8/10
- Where to watch: Max
The most popular sitcom of its era, Friends is the comfort-watch that defined "Must See TV." The Friends finale drew 52.5 million viewers in 2004, dwarfing the finales of every show that followed in the new millennium. Consistently one of the top draws on Max, it remains among the few '90s sitcoms that truly rival Seinfeld for cultural impact.
Cheers
- Full name: Cheers
- Years: 1982–1993
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 11
- IMDb rating: 8.0/10
- Where to watch: Peacock, Apple TV+
The platonic ideal of the hangout sitcom, Cheers drew a colossal audience of more than 80 million for its 1993 finale. Over its lifetime, the show earned an extraordinary 28 Emmy wins out of 179 nominations. Its Boston bar setting and lovable ensemble cast made it the blueprint for every "where everybody knows your name" comedy that followed.
M*A*S*H
- Full name: M*A*S*H
- Years: 1972–1983
- Network: CBS
- Seasons: 11
- IMDb rating: 8.5/10
- Where to watch: Hulu
The finale of M*A*S*H drew 106 million viewers — nearly one-third of the United States' population at the time, according to CNN. Set during the Korean War, the show collected Emmys and critical praise across more than a decade, and remains surprisingly relevant today.
Parks and Recreation
- Full name: Parks and Recreation
- Years: 2009–2015
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 7
- IMDb rating: 8.6/10
- Where to watch: Peacock
Feeling almost like The Office's sister show, Parks and Recreation is another mockumentary-style sitcom, this one focusing on the local government of a fictional town in Indiana called Pawnee. Following a similar format to The Office, it relies less on cringe comedy and instead finds its big, beating heart over time, with a winning ensemble cast.
The Good Place
- Full name: The Good Place
- Years: 2016–2020
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 4
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- Where to watch: Peacock, Hulu
The Good Place is a funny, feel-good comedy that blends genuinely smart humour with accessible philosophical themes, packing every 22-minute episode full of thought-provoking ideas and laugh-out-loud gags. Creator Michael Schur, the same mind behind Parks and Recreation, delivers a comedy in which Eleanor, a self-proclaimed Arizona dirtbag, unexpectedly ends up somewhere that looks a lot like heaven.
Arrested Development
- Full name: Arrested Development
- Years: 2003–2019
- Network: Fox / Netflix
- Seasons: 5
- IMDb rating: 8.6/10
- Where to watch: Netflix
Arrested Development follows the Bluth family, a totally dysfunctional group trying to keep up appearances after their father gets arrested for fraud — with a dense narrative and tons of inside jokes that reward close attention. Bold, meta, and technically sharp for its time, it influenced later comedies including 30 Rock and Community.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
- Full name: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
- Years: 2013–2021
- Network: Fox / NBC
- Seasons: 8
- Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
- Where to watch: Peacock, Netflix
The show achieved a near-perfect 95% approval score across eight seasons on Rotten Tomatoes, with an equally strong audience score. Created by film producers Dan Goor and Michael Schur, this genuinely warm workplace comedy follows a dysfunctional yet lovable group of detectives in a New York City police precinct, led by Andy Samberg as the goofy Jake Peralta. It aired from 2013 to 2021 across eight seasons.
30 Rock
- Full name: 30 Rock
- Years: 2006–2013
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 7
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- Where to watch: Peacock, Hulu
If you haven't made time for 30 Rock, now is definitely the right moment to start. There is never a bad time to watch Tina Fey's acidic, Emmy-winning sitcom. Set inside the fictional sketch comedy show TGS with Tracy Jordan, it skewered television, celebrity, and corporate America with a joke-per-minute density that few comedies have matched.
Frasier
- Full name: Frasier
- Years: 1993–2004
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 11
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- Where to watch: Hulu
Frasier is a multi-cam classic that remains a staple of smart comedy streaming, sitting comfortably alongside shows like 30 Rock and The Golden Girls in the Hulu library. A spin-off of Cheers, it centred on the pompous but lovable psychiatrist Dr Frasier Crane returning to his home city of Seattle. The show won a historic 37 Emmy Awards across its eleven-season run, holding the record for a comedy series for many years.
The Golden Girls
- Full name: The Golden Girls
- Years: 1985–1992
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 7
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- Where to watch: Hulu
Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia were the centrepieces of The Golden Girls, a series that showcased the magic and madness of friendship in the golden years. The finale was watched by 27.2 million viewers and is particularly remembered for its genuine emotional weight alongside the laughs. Decades on, it remains one of the sharpest and most endlessly rewatchable sitcoms in television history.
Abbott Elementary
- Full name: Abbott Elementary
- Years: 2021–present
- Network: ABC
- Seasons: 5 (ongoing)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
- Where to watch: Hulu
Created by and starring Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary debuted on 7 December 2021. On Rotten Tomatoes, the ABC sitcom holds an overall 99% Tomatometer score based on critics' reviews. It remains one of the defining workplace comedies of the decade, continuing to earn widespread acclaim.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- Full name: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- Years: 2005–present
- Network: FX / FXX
- Seasons: 16+
- IMDb rating: 8.8/10
- Where to watch: Hulu
Five friends with big egos and small brains run an Irish pub in Philadelphia — and somehow, after more than 16 seasons, they have never run out of ways to embarrass themselves. The show holds the record as the longest-running live-action comedy series in American television history. Its 90% Rotten Tomatoes score confirms it is no mere cult oddity.
Community
- Full name: Community
- Years: 2009–2015
- Network: NBC
- Seasons: 6
- IMDb rating: 8.5/10
- Where to watch: Peacock
Community influenced a generation of comedies that followed it, partly thanks to its sharp meta-humour and layered storytelling. Set at the fictional Greendale Community College, it starred Joel McHale as a disgraced lawyer forced to attend night school. The show's genre-parody episodes — from spaghetti westerns to stop-motion Christmas specials — remain among the most inventive half-hours in sitcom history.
How this list was compiled
These rankings are based on aggregated critical and audience data from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic, cross-referenced against major "best of" editorial lists from outlets including Collider, CBR, and The Screen Report. Streaming availability was verified via JustWatch in October 2026. Where critics and audiences disagreed, cultural longevity and rewatch value were used as tiebreakers.
FAQs
Which is the highest-rated sitcom of all time?
According to IMDb users, the American version of The Office sits above all other live-action sitcoms, with a 9.0 rating based on over 758,000 votes, placing it at number 27 on the greatest shows of all time list. On Rotten Tomatoes, Seinfeld ranks first among comedy series, while critics at outlets like Collider also name The Office as the top American sitcom.
What are the best sitcoms on Netflix?
Netflix paid $500 million to secure Seinfeld, which landed on the platform on 1 October 2021, with the streamer needing at least one major comfort-food sitcom in its library. As of October 2026, Seinfeld, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Arrested Development are among the strongest sitcom options available on Netflix.
Is Friends still worth watching in 2026?
Absolutely. On IMDb, Friends holds a rating of 8.9 out of 10, and fans have grown to love it more with every passing year. Its themes of platonic loyalty, romantic confusion, and navigating early adulthood are as relatable as ever, and its ten seasons offer plenty of binge material on Max.
What is the funniest sitcom of all time?
There is no single answer, but several titles consistently dominate the conversation. Over 102,000 TV viewers have voted on rankings, and the current top three by fan consensus are Friends, The Office, and Seinfeld.
Fans of anarchic comedy tend to lean towards It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Arrested Development, while lovers of warm ensemble comedy often cite Parks and Recreation or The Good Place.
Is Abbott Elementary as good as the classic sitcoms?
Abbott Elementary continued to grow and receive critical acclaim with every season, quickly becoming one of the best sitcoms of the 2020s and reviving the workplace comedy genre. Critics have praised its later seasons as still laugh-out-loud funny and effective at tackling issues with humour and heart.
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